


Mind Over Matter

by Destinyiel



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alicante (Shadowhunter Chronicles), Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Drama & Romance, F/F, F/M, Family, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Swords & Sorcery, The Circle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 07:47:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14397534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destinyiel/pseuds/Destinyiel
Summary: Alec is lost. He wasn't born with magical abilities like his sister Isabelle or great sword-fighting skills like his brother Jace. In a society where at the age of eighteen you're supposed to have it all figured out, he's the odd man out.His life consists of time spent at the Alicante Library with Simon, a friend with a huge passion for books and knowledge, and being a family disappointment - according to everyone, except his sister.Will the encounter with Isabelle's new mage friend, Magnus Bane, allow Alec to leave his shell, or will Alec's feelings drive him even further away from everyone?





	Mind Over Matter

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, my lovelies! Long time no see!  
> The idea for this fic has been brewing in my head for at least two months now and I finally got to write the first chapter. I'm planning on releasing a new chapter every Sunday and I really hope that's something I can achieve.   
> I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
> Tell me what you think in the comments below, or on Twitter - @sylightwood.
> 
> Without further ado, I present you the first chapter of my Malec AU! *laughs nervously*

 

Alec Lightwood did not consider himself lucky. Ever since he started school, he seemed to be attracting all the possible unfortunate incidents – he even managed to hit his instructor in the head with a wooden sword during one of his lessons. He had a strong suspicion that was the reason why he was sent to the Alicante Library. His parents thought he was not cut out to be a warrior, not like his brother, Jace. He was also born without any special abilities, which made his younger sister Isabelle the only mage in the family.

Needless to say, Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood did not devote more time to try and find the thing Alec would be good at. If he couldn’t be an imperfect copy of Jace or have magic abilities like Izzy, there was basically no use for him to the great family like the Lightwoods.

Alec once overheard his mom telling his dad that they should just make him go to the Silent Brothers – monks who were taking care of the Library – after all, he couldn’t do any harm by reading books, could he?

So there he was, spending seven hours a day among people who thought they were destined to become the next Silent Brothers, browsing hundreds and hundreds of books and scrolls. He had to admit, it was not that bad after he got used to it. He even made a friend, Simon, but he was quite talkative, plus, entirely focused on his best friend Clary, who visited him in the Library every day after the mages training had finished.

Clary moved to Idris a couple months ago, but Simon had known her ever since they were kids. Naturally, they have grown quite close, and Alec knew that he could never compete with that, not that he even wanted to. Having someone to exchange a few words a day was sufficient for now, and Alec enjoyed the company of Simon and Clary a lot.

But deep down, he was a very unhappy person.

However, it wasn’t caused solely by the fact that he was exiled to the Library. Every day he had to conceal his true self from everyone, especially his parents. He knew that if they didn’t accept him for who he was now, telling them he was gay would only make things worse. He told his sister Isabelle and her feelings for him haven’t changed, but to Robert and Maryse, this would just be another thing on the long list of things they already hated him for. They piled up over the years, but Alec suspected that the biggest reason was the fact that he was destined to be average, at least according to them.

Alec put down the huge volume of Theory of Healing Magic and looked at the clock. He let out a sigh of relief. The obligatory hours were almost over and he wasn’t going to spend another minute in this huge, crowded yet oddly and even eerily quiet place.

He turned his head to Simon, whose dark brown hair was pushed back, allowing him to look through his big glasses without strands of hair distracting him. Alec thought that perhaps Simon should shave his hair completely, but he didn’t say it out loud. He was hardly in the mood to make snide comments.

“Simon,” he said instead, and Simon glanced at him from above his glasses. “I’m finishing up, do you want to go home together?”

“Aw,” Simon cooed in response. “Be careful, Alec. I might actually think you like me.”

Alec snorted.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” he retorted. “I was hoping to hang out with Clary, you’re just a bait.”

“Okay, now I’m offended.” Simon scoffed and Alec smirked at him. “Unfortunately, I’m gonna have to take a rain check on the whole bait thing. Brother Jeremiah asked me to prepare some stuff for tomorrow.”

Alec frowned. Lately, he hasn’t even been aware of what day of the week it was, let alone remember all the events taking place in Alicante.

“Come on, man.” Simon chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. “The Circle arrives tomorrow. You know, only the coolest thing that happens in our miserable lives? Does it ring a bell?”

“Oh,” Alec said, but the undertone was indifferent.

Alec was never really fond of the Circle, especially their leader, Valentine Morgenstern, or his son Sebastian, who was also his right hand. They were perceived as great heroes by the people of Alicante, but Alec didn’t understand how they could put so much trust in people, who only spent less than twenty-four hours a year in the actual city with the people. No one knew where they spent the rest of the time. Supposedly they occupied the vast woods surrounding Alicante to prevent the city from being ambushed, but no one has ever been able to locate them, it’s almost as if they disappeared the second they left the city, like ghosts. However, no one paid much attention to finding them either, because somehow they managed to keep any possible danger outside the city, so according to the Council of Alicante, there was no point in wondering exactly how they managed to be this effective.

Guarding the city was only one part of the job bestowed upon the Circle. The entire land of Idris was heavily dependent on runic energy. Runes were these black, uncut rocks, similar to charcoal, with different carvings symbolizing different kinds of energy. Alicante used runes to feed the power core underneath the city, therefore providing Idris with useful things like electricity. Additionally, when a person turns eighteen, they receive one rune of their choice, which is branded into the skin of their chest, the same place where the heart is, granting them power, depending on what kind of rune they chose. Alec’s brother Jace, who turned eighteen last year, chose strength, which made him even more of an effective fighter. The amount of runes that a single person can acquire is one. If anyone as much as tried to brand themselves with another one, they immediately died. But to maintain the power core and brand everyone who turns eighteen, the Council needs to find a way to acquire enough runic stones.

Another thing about the Circle was the fact that whenever they appeared in Alicante, they recruited one new member. They were very random about it as there was no competition or even a ceremony of accepting new members, people just woke up in the morning and noticed someone’s disappearance after the Circle was gone before dawn. More often than not, they saw that person after a year, when Valentine and his men resurfaced for one day, but they usually did not come back in the second year after they’ve been taken. Most people suspected they died in battle or during tough exploration of nearby territories. The only constant members of the Circle were Valentine, Sebastian, and their beautiful companion, Lilith, who always followed Valentine like a shadow.

Needless to say, Alec was not particularly enthusiastic about the Circle’s visit, but that did not change the fact that he would be forced to join the festivities anyway.

“Do you think they’ll bring any new runes?” Simon asked and his eyes sparkled with excitement. “Some cool ones, immortality rune or… Shapeshifting!”

Alec chuckled. Simon did have a specific way of looking at life, and usually, Alec did not rain on the guy’s parade, after all, he was the only person, except his sister, that he could vent to. If the price for it was having to listen to Simon fantasize about stuff straight from a superhero movie, Alec was willing to pay it.

“Maybe,” Alec replied. “We’re lucky we still have a year until we’re eighteen… If they don’t bring anything new tomorrow, maybe they will next year.”

“…We’re gonna be stuck with some generic rune, aren’t we?” Simon said grimly, and Alec could not quite guess if his friend was being genuinely sad or was it just another one of his jokes. Simon Lewis was quite hard to read, despite being a giant nerd.

“Well,” Alec began, putting on the most serious face he could, even though he could barely keep the corners of his lips from curving in a smile. “Maybe the world will end tomorrow and we won’t have to get any lame runes.”

Simon grabbed the nearest book and threw it at Alec’s head, barely missing the target, as Alec dodged it at the last second, laughing out loud. The book fell onto the floor, undoubtedly attracting the attention of the Silent Brothers who were currently working two lanes away from Simon and Alec.

“Go away, Lightwood,” Simon mumbled and got up in a hurry to pick up the book before he gets scolded for making a noise. Alec couldn’t help but notice a smirk dancing around Simon’s lips, which made him grin in response.

“Always look at the bright side, my friend,” Alec said and waved at Simon, who waved back absentmindedly and returned to his work.

Alec pushed the huge door of the Library and inhaled the sweet aroma of fresh air, which filled his lungs with healing oxygen, finally free of the smell of old books and dust.

The bright sunlight blinded Alec for a second, and he realized he almost forgot it was still daytime. Being in the Library was like being in some sort of time chamber, in which it was very easy to forget that the world was not as grim and dull as that place.

He walked down the marble stairs and followed the same path home he walked every day. He could pretty easily just close his eyes and still get to his destination. Alec sighed. He wished at least in this territory his life would experience some change, but it never did. Still, he welcomed the opportunity he got to stretch his legs, after all, library work was mostly just sitting around and reading things assigned to them by the Silent Brothers, so it was easy to lose circulation quite fast.

Alec was just crossing the street next to the training facility for mages, that has recently been extended and upgraded, when he heard a very familiar sound – the joyous laughter of his sister Isabelle. He remembered how they used to laugh so much together, when their parents were too busy with the Council work, and Jace was busy sharpening his weapons and beating the crap out of all his instructors, one by one. It was ten years ago, but it was all so vivid in Alec’s head, him and Isabelle would sit by the river and gather little stones on the ground to make different stuff with. Once, they made a spectacular dragon, but Isabelle did not want a bland stone to make the dragon’s eye with, she wanted a colorful one from underneath the water. Unfortunately, their parents prohibited them from going into the water without any adult around, but Alec did not want his sister to be sad, so he dove into the crystal clear water of the Neph river and found two stones – red and green. It was then that Isabelle looked at him with such adoration, that he felt like for a second he was her own, personal hero. She did not look up to a great warrior like Jace, but instead to her awkward brother who may have not been as strong, but would do anything for her.

It was worth getting yelled at by Robert and Maryse.

Alec and Isabelle kept the stones Alec got from the river and kept it – Isabelle the red one, and Alec the green one. He did not know if she shared his sentiment, but from the on, he carried the stone with him everywhere.

His hand wandered to his right pocket and he smiled when his fingers graced over the cold hardness of the tiny stone.

“Alec!” Isabelle called him over, and when he took a few steps forward, he noticed she was in the company of someone he has never met before. “Alec, this is Magnus, he’s new.”

Isabelle smiled sweetly at the black-haired guy.

“And this,” she said, “is my brother, Alec.”

Alec’s mouth hung open the tiniest bit at the sight of Magnus, who reached out his hand to Alec in greeting. Alec noticed several rings on Magnus’ slim fingers and black nail polish on his fingernails. It looked extremely elegant and attractive, along with the light eye make-up he was wearing, which highlighted the beautiful mixture of gold and green of his eyes.

“Magnus Bane.” He introduced himself again and Alec shook his hand nervously. Magnus sent him a bright smile.

“Alec Ligthwood,” Alec said, somehow managing not to stutter, to his own surprise and disbelief.

“If you’re half as nice as your sister, I have a feeling we’re gonna be good friends, Alec,” Magnus said and Isabelle put her hand on his arm and stared at Alec, smiling.

“Oh, please,” Isabelle said. “We’re Lightwoods. Nice is our middle name.”

Alec snorted.

“Yeah,” he said with a grin. “Except our older brother, our mother and our father. So…”

He gestured between himself and his sister.

“We’re basically your only chance at experiencing the famous Lightwood _charm_ ,” Alec stated and Isabelle looked at him fondly. “Exposure to other subjects may be lethal.”

Magnus threw his head back in laughter and showed two rows of perfect, white teeth, and Alec could not help but grin. There was something so captivating about the way Magnus laughed, how he scrunched his nose in an adorable manner and how his eyes were so bright and warm that Alec could feel the warmth rising in his cheeks.

“Thanks for the heads up,” Magnus said, looking at Alec. “I’m gonna stick to you two, then.”

“Look, Alec,” Isabelle laughed. “We have a friend who is not a family member, how cool are we?”

“Beyond cool.” Alec chuckled and all three of them laughed in unison.

Then, the sound of Magnus’ phone ringing interrupted them, and Magnus grabbed it, but he didn’t take the call. Instead, he typed something on it fast and put it back in his pocket.

“Sorry guys,” Magnus said and Alec notice the slightest bit of tension visible on his face. “I have to go home, my dad’s waiting for me.”

Isabelle squeezed his arm gently and he sent her a fond smile.

“See you tomorrow, Izzy,” he said and then turned to Alec. “Again, lovely meeting you, Alec. I hope I’ll get to experience some more Lightwood charm soon.”

He smiled at Alec and Alec returned the smile.

“Oh, you can count on it.”

It felt so weird to Alec, because usually he did not particularly enjoy interacting with strangers. During his first meeting with Simon, he sat through him going on and on about something he read about the night before, without saying a word, and he was extremely surprised when that did not make Simon judge him or not talk to him ever again. Alec knew he often seemed a little rough and unpleasant, but that was just the defense mechanism he developed throughout the years of feeling like a lesser person compared to all the others.

Isabelle held Alec’s hand and they began walking home, side by side, at first in silence, but soon it was broken by Izzy.

“He’s nice, isn’t he?” She asked with a smirk.

“He is,” Alec agreed. He was probably the nicest person he’s ever met.

“And super hot,” Izzy continued, but Alec did not respond to that.

He didn’t want to think about how in a few weeks he could be sidelined from Izzy’s life. His sister was beautiful, and she was right, Magnus _was_ incredibly good looking too. In Alec’s eyes, they instantly clicked. They would be the kind of couple all the international magazines would hire for wedding photoshoots and they would probably earn millions. Alec saw how comfortable they acted around each other, like they were friends forever, and not like they met a few days ago. Everything about this situation screamed impending marriage.

Alec sighed.

“Should I congratulate you?” He asked, not unkindly, and Izzy looked at him, frowning. “You and Magnus?” He clarified.

Isabelle laughed out loud.

“We’re not dating. You’re so stupid sometimes, big brother.” She commented and Alec raised his eyebrows.

“Why am I, all of a sudden, stupid?” Alec questioned. Isabelle nudged him on the shoulder, but she said nothing, she only kept looking at the ground, smiling. “I swear, sisters can really drive you nuts sometimes. I feel like you and Simon would get along.”

“Then maybe we should hang out together sometimes.” Izzy proposed. “Just you, me, Simon and Magnus. He needs some normalcy, after all, we are his only friends so far.”

“Simon and normalcy.” Alec laughed. “That’s a bit risky. Besides, aren’t you worried Magnus will get jealous?” He teased his sister.

Izzy muttered something under her breath, which sounded a lot like _idiot_ , but Alec did not inquire, as they arrived at their house, which felt a lot like usual – empty.

“Home sweet home,” Izzy said bitterly and Alec shrugged. At this point he preferred it this way. There was no Jace to make fun of him for being useless, there was no Robert or Maryse to remind him of how his weakness is a disgrace to the great legacy of the Lightwoods.

It was soothing.

Alec went to his room and shut the door behind him. He threw himself onto his bed and closed his eyes. For some weird reason, the first thing that appeared in his head when he shut off the external incentives, was the color of Magnus’ eyes. He shook his head. He’s learned throughout the years that some things were better left unsaid, therefore he decided to abandon these thoughts, and drifted off to sleep.

When he opened his eyes it was already dark, only the moon, which was half-full, was illuminating Alec’s room through the window. Alec looked at the time. It was three in the morning, he slept for almost ten hours, there was no way he would go back to sleep now.

He stayed in bed for at least fifteen minutes more, but then he stood up, a little disheveled, and decided to go to the one place he could think of, where he always went when he couldn’t sleep.

The river was flowing peacefully. The light of the moon was reflecting in the water and Alec thought the view was stunning. For a few moments, he couldn’t stop staring at the trembling water, glazing over some of the bigger stones and sparkling in the light of the moon. Such view was hard to compete with, for anything.

But then, he noticed something was different about the spot that was claimed ten years before by himself and Isabelle. This time, it was occupied by someone. Someone, who was clearly practicing his magic, as Alec noticed blue sparks and swirls shooting into the air time after time after time.

“Magnus,” he said, which seemed to startle Magnus, as he gasped and immediately stopped using his magic, much to Alec’s disappointment. Alec thought this could be the sight that could, in fact, outshine even the illuminated water of Neph. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

 Magnus sent him half a smile.

“It’s okay. In fact, I should probably go. Izzy told me it was your spot and said I could come here if I want to get out of the house, but I realize I never asked _you_ for permission. I’m sorry.”

He stood up and attempted to leave, but Alec stopped him in his tracks.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Alec said. “Friends share, don’t they? And it’s a really great spot, too. Stay, please.”

Magnus nodded, smiling, and they both sat down on the grass.

“It’s so beautiful here,” Magnus said, taking in the view of the water and the trees surrounding the area around the clearing they occupied.

“It is,” Alec said, looking at Magnus. “So, you said you wanted to get out of the house?”

Magnus nodded.

“My father… he hasn’t been himself lately,” he said. “I think he’s drinking again.”

“Did he do this to you?” Alec asked and Magnus frowned, not knowing what Alec meant at first, but then he looked at him and noticed him staring at the wound on Magnus’ forearm.

“Oh,” Magnus said. “I almost forgot about it. The thing about my father is… His magic is said to be aggressive magic, kind of like mine, but a lot more uncontrollable, especially under the influence.”

Magnus looked at Alec the way Alec knew was him looking for a sign that the person he’s talking to was not interested in what he’s saying, so he could stop speaking. Alec has done it for the most part of his life, he recognized it instantly. The desperate need to talk to someone, but not wanting to be a burden.

He fixed his gaze on surprised Magnus and nodded in understanding.

“He drank today? That’s why you rushed home earlier?” Alec asked and Magnus nodded.

“When I got home he was already drunk. We were fighting and when I wanted to leave, he grabbed my arm… His magic acted out and that’s how I got this pretty thing right here.” He pointed towards his left arm.

“I’m sorry,” Alec said softly and put his hand on Magnus’ back in attempt to comfort him.

“It’s okay, Alec. I got used to it. Sometimes I just physically can’t listen to him anymore when he keept blaming me for the death of my mother.” Magnus concluded grimly.

Alec did not even try to conceal his shock.

“He blames you for the death of your mom?” He uttered in disbelief. “Bastard.”

Magnus smiled sadly, but he did not say anything else and they ended up sitting in silence for a long time. After a while, Alec noticed Magnus was shaking and had goosebumps on his arms, which he tried to warm up but to no avail.

“Magnus,” Alec finally broke the silence. “How long have you been here?”

Magnus looked at the time and frowned. “Since midnight? Something like that.” He replied, and Alec’s mouth dropped open. The days in Alicante may have been nice and warm, but nights were quite the opposite, and Magnus was wearing a T-shirt.

“Dear God, you’re gonna freeze to death!” Alec exclaimed and before Magnus could protest, he took off his jacket and threw it onto his back. Magnus did not fight him on this.

“Thank you, Alexander.” He said, smiling.

Alec thought Isabelle must have told Magnus his full name. He always corrected people and asked them to call him ‘Alec’, but he didn’t try to pretend it bothered him when Magnus called him by his full name. He smiled back at the guy and they continued to sit in silence, until the first rays of dawn began emerging from underneath the horizon.

Alec knew it was time to go. He had to be with his family while Robert and Maryse were greeting the Circle in Alicante in the name of the Council. It was expected of him to join them.

He looked over at Magnus and realized he had dozed off. His right cheek was resting on his knees and his mouth was open slightly and now that Alec started paying attention, he heard Magnus’ steady breathing. He didn’t want to wake the guy up. He knew it must be difficult for him to go back home to the unpredictable father, with no one to talk to or to stand up for him.

So Alec just kept staring, with some sort of determination in his eyes, but he could not quite put his finger on what that sudden surge of determination meant for him.

Suddenly, the sound of alarm rang out in the distance and Alec knew it was their cue to leave. He lightly shook Magnus’ arm to wake him up, and when he succeeded, he sighed.

“We should go,” he said and Magnus nodded and started to take off the jacket Alec had given him, but Alec shook his head.

“Keep it. You can give it back when we meet again, which…” He looked at the time. “…will probably be in a couple hours.”

Magnus chuckled.

“Wow, I’m really pushing this friend thing, aren’t I?” He said jokingly. “Soon you and Izzy will be sick of me.”

 _Impossible,_ Alec wanted to say, but he stopped himself.

“Don’t worry,” he said instead. “We’ll survive somehow.”

They both laughed and made their way back to the centre of the city. It was already swarming with people, Alec spotted several Council members, including his father, deep in conversation, undoubtedly about how to make the Circle feel welcome and provide them with everything their hearts desired. For the next twenty-four hours the city belonged and its people belonged to Valentine and his men. The thought left a bitter taste in Alec’s mouth.

He turned to Magnus, who seemed to be taking in the sight of the city being so lively and full of people, as usually at this hour everyone was still asleep, even the training facilities were empty. But today everything was different and it must have been quite a shock to Magnus.

“Well,” Alec spoke with a sigh. “Let the festivities begin.”


End file.
